Failure
by StarksViolet
Summary: He promised he would catch her but he failed, he failed her...


**Here's a small piece for Jimenush...hope you enjoy and sorry about the long delay in getting anything published, I won't bore you with the details but a lot of stuff going on right now and am trying to fit everything in :)**

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She had fallen, from his grasp, he swore he would protect her, the one thing that mattered most and he had failed. She had fallen, slipped through his fingers and fell.

He got to his feet slowly accepting the fact that he was responsible for everything that took place, Killian had taken her from him, and Tony did what he did best. He fixed it, killed him and made sure Killian was never going to do anything like this to anyone ever again.

But it was a too little too late. Pepper was gone and all that remained was the fiery haze aboard the Roxxon Norco rushing around him furiously stinging his eyes forcing new tears to the surface.

Amongst the thoughts that ran through his mind and the chaos surrounding him he saw her. Fear and confusion swept across his eyes as her fiery ones met his.

They were yards away but the Extremis signature was unmistakable. He felt his heart constrict as the woman before him betrayed all that he held dear. Yes he had failed.

'Pep?' He asked in barely a whisper.

He had let her down, his stupidity had brought this on and he deserved whatever was coming.

A grin spread across her face as she slowly started walking toward him, her long hair hanging in a mess over her shoulders and falling across her face, shielding the red glow from her eyes.

'Pep, you don't have to do this,' Tony spoke firmly holding his hands out as if that would stop whatever was about to come.

She replied with a smirk, 'this is what I am meant to do,' she explained in a staccato tone, much like Tony's when he was explaining something so matter-of-factly.

Tony swallowed hard and shook his head, daring to hope that she would realise her actions and snap out of Killian's hold.

Her body began to glow redder and hotter still maintaining her advance toward him in her same, usual elegant stride.

Above their heads Tony heard the War Machine approaching and J.A.R.V.I.S talking in his ear, 'get back Rhodey, clear out,' he ordered keeping his voice as level as possible.

'Is everything alright down there?' Rhodey spoke into his ear piece.

Tony nodded, 'we're alright,' he looked Pepper in the eyes, 'stand by, on my word'

'Are you sure,' Rhodey's question burned through Tony, was he sure?

'Yes,' he lied looking Pepper in the eyes, 'on my word.'

'On your word what, Tony?' She smirked, 'take me down?'

Terror flooded his eyes as he watched the darkness pooling deep within hers, he only managed to shake his head disbelievingly at her question, 'Pepper, please, let's talk about this, over dinner, you know at that place you like,' he heard himself rambling.

'Oh Tony,' she grinned, 'dinner isn't going to fix this.'

Now only mere feet away from each other Tony could see the vacant look on her face, this wasn't Pepper.

Her eyes burned red as she finally stopped before him.

Tony bit back the nerves and stood his ground, 'please Pep, I can fix this.'

She replied with a soft laugh which sounded too wrong to belong to her, 'there's nothing _to_ fix, you failed me and he saved me,' she said in the same matter-of-factly tone.

Tony shook his head, 'you're right, I failed you, I did, but this, Pep _this_ is wrong, this isn't you,' he tried to plead.

Her eyes softened in an almost empathetic acknowledgement, 'is it wrong because he was smarter than you and worked this out before you could?'

She stepped toward him closing the space between them.

Their eyes locked and she seductively placed her hands on his arms running her fingers up and down cocking her head slightly to look into his face and just as before her body began to glow brighter.

Tony flinched at the burn which seared through his whole body, 'Pep, please don't do this, you're better than this,' his grit his teeth as the bile in the back of his throat threatened to erupt and his words became slurred, 'Pep, please,' he begged before his knees gave way.

'Don't call me that,' she whispered looking down at him slowly applying more and more pressure on his wrists, 'I always hated that,' she rolled her eyes, '_pepper,_' she spat, 'like I belong to you!'

Tony grit his teeth feeling the pain rip through his arms as the bones definitely crushed beneath her fingers, 'Pepper,' he repeated through grit teeth, 'this isn't you,' he barely managed, 'try to fight it.'

She replied with a stifled laugh, 'isn't it?' She lowered her face so that they were mere inches apart, 'at least I don't need Iron Man, unlike you, big man in a suit of armour, take that away and what are you?'

Tony's eyes shot up in a breathless gasp, he tried to shake his head.

'What?' She looked down with a smirk, 'did I hurt you?'

'This isn't you,' he squeezed his eyes fighting back the tears.

It wasn't the burning pain, or the crushing bones, it was his crushing heart. He knew this wasn't her, they weren't her words and they weren't her feelings. But what if they were? What if this is what she wanted to say and what she really felt?

No it couldn't be he refused to believe it.

'Look at me!' She yelled at him.

His eyes reluctantly opened to meet hers and for a brief moment his heart skipped a beat when her blue orbs were no longer marred by red.

Just as quickly as hope appeared it has disappeared, where her warm smile would have been was instead a grin, 'if you had succeeded with Extremis, you never would have needed this,' she gently traced the reactor with her delicate fingers.

Tony's body involuntarily flinched. He never feared Pepper being around it, in some way it was her erotic acceptance of it that made him love her even more.

But now he was terrified beyond all reason, 'Extremis isn't stable,' he whispered, 'it-it's a weapon,' he stammered.

'Coming from a _weapons expert_ that sounds awfully negative?' She quipped.

He shook his head, 'we don't do that anymore, we've bettered ourselves, _you _helped me,' he managed weakly.

She replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, 'I guess I'll help you _again_,' she whispered leaning in to brush her lips against his.

He pulled back only eliciting a cry of agony as his broken arms screamed in pain, 'no, Pepper I can fix this,' he hissed, 'fix you.'

She laughed softly against his mouth, 'oh Tony, I already told you, there's nothing _to_ fix,' she brought her hand to his face and cupped his cheek.

Tony forced her eyes to his showing as much pleading as he could, 'fight him,' he whispered.

Pepper held his gaze for a few moments before nodding weakly and finally trailing her fingers across his jaw and then slowly down across his chest coming to stop at the reactor.

He looked at her through breathless, painful sobs.

He was openly crying now, everything he swore to protect was right in front of him, taunting him and how he had miserably failed.

Her eyes showed no remorse and no desire to be rescued.

'If you're not with us, then we have no need for you,' she whispered leaning in and kissing him roughly, 'it is a shame, I hear it's a lot of fun in the bedroom this way,' she nodded at her glowing form, 'good bye Tony.'

His eyes widened in shock as she reached down for the reactor and with one swift move, ripped it free from his body eliciting an agonising yell.

His heart almost immediately began screaming, his breath hitched and begged for any form release, he couldn't remember a time when his body, his heart ever hurt more, he squeezed his eyes shut and mustered whatever was left, 'Rhodey now.'

Within seconds the familiar sound of the repulsors was fast approaching.

Pepper's eyes shot up to the sky and then back to Tony's, 'what the hell are you planning?' She hissed.

Tony offered a smile, 'a resolution.'

Her eyes dropped back to his, a sadistic grin marred her usually serene features, Tony wanted nothing more than to look away from her, whatever the Extremis did to her, this wasn't his Pepper, but he couldn't turn away, he tried beyond all reason that was left, to see through this, to beg her to come back to him, to no avail.

She returned his silence and swiftly got to her feet, without notice she swung and violently slammed her hand into his chest sending him flying backwards.

Breathing evaded him as did the gargled moan which hitched in his throat. He felt and heard his ribs and reactor wall casing crush against each other and his lungs suddenly struggled to work.

He focussed himself as much as possible, enough to watch her reaction, anger, confusion, rage and then fear as Rhodey flew toward her.

As his body finally hit the ground his mind ran through dozens of scenarios, simultaneously, about all the worst possible outcomes of his injuries and the situation right now, but that was beyond what mattered, he was second in all if this. Pepper was his first, the reason for his living and everything he fought for. She was his number one and there were so many things rushing through his mind.

One: Pepper was compromised and he was responsible, two: he had lost his reactor and his only chance of living through this, three: even _if _he could get a new reactor, the casing, his ribs and sternum were all crushed, probably beyond repair.

And then there was the pain, his arms, both broken, lungs collapsing and failing far too quickly, and her; he watched her reaction as she hit the ground, her arm outstretched toward him and crying and screaming hysterically.

The anti-virus he devised had worked; Rhodey had shot her with a dart filled with nanomites designed and engineered to completely eradicate any and all trace of the Extremis.

His breath hitched as he watched War Machine land a few yards away followed closely by Banner, a small smile reached his lips, at least with Banner here, Pepper's detox would be easier, he trusted him with his life, and now with Pepper's.

He heard her screams across the fire as she desperately tried to break free from Rhodey, even with the virus detoxing from her system she was still a lot stronger than she would normally be and Rhodey was struggling to hold her down, once satisfied that Banner's slightly green counterpart was enough to hold her down he turned to Tony and started rushing toward him.

Finally able to focus on himself he slowly turned his head up to the sky as thousands of tiny dots littered the blanket of darkness which was quickly surrounding him.

Her screams sounded miles away as the pounding in his head seemed to get louder and slower; the blood rushing around had started slowing down as was his heart.

His breathing became slow and laboured as pain swept through his body; his breaths came out in slow shallow gasps as Rhodey's now unarmoured hand found his.

'Hold on Tony, you're going to be alright buddy.'

Tony's lips curled into a weak smile, 's'ok, Rhodey,' the words left his mouth in barely a whisper.

'Not ok, got it?' He squeezed his hand tighter in his and called out to Banner, 'hurry!'

His eyes closed before he could reply before he could see Pepper one more time before he could tell her that it wasn't her fault.

* * *

'Banner, he's not breathing!' Rhodey yelled over his shoulder to a panic stricken Bruce who was still struggling with Pepper.

'Cradle his head,' Bruce yelled back holding Pepper against himself to try and stop her from struggling.

Rhodey turned his attention back to Tony and manoeuvred himself so that he was in a better position to raise Tony's head.

'You're not dying on me, Stark, don't even think about it.' Rhodey hissed trying to get a hold on his emotions while focussing on the lifeless form of his best friend in his arms.

He bit back the tears and looked back over at Bruce, Pepper was calm on the ground beside him, whatever he had shot her with seemed to have worked.

Bruce ran over to the two men and dropped to his knees, 'he contacted me about a week ago, gave me some data to look over,' Bruce started explaining while he took Tony's hand into his, he pressed his fingers to his wrist and looked up at Rhodey, 'the Extremis was a project he looked at almost thirteen years ago,' he pulled out a syringe and vial from his pocket, 'a reworked version of the virus, heals and regenerates, non-lethal, non-weaponizable.'

A small smile spread across Rhodey's face, 'son of a bitch.'

Bruce prepared the shot and administered it.

A silence befell the men as Tony's breathing evened out and much to their surprise a golden glow began to form from within him, Pepper's gasp alerted them both to her presence.

'Oh god, what did I do?' She dropped to her knees beside them.

'He's going to be fine.' Bruce turned to her with a smile.

'You helped him.' Rhodey added.

Without another word they sat beside him as the golden glow began to spread and unlike the red from the Extremis Soldiers this hue was warm, and hopeful and full of anticipation for the good which would come from it.

Anything Tony put his mind to, was bound for greatness, and this was no exception.

They watched in awe as his bones healed and the golden sheath enclosed his body promising a resolution, a change of things to come.

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**Crappy abrupt ending, sorry about that, hopefully I'll be able to get some better stuff happening soon! Thanks for reading...**

**Excelsior!**


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